While the actress has had multiple stints in court-ordered and voluntary rehab, and alcohol- and substance-abuse issues since the mid-2000s, her attorney, Mark Heller, said at a recent hearing that Lohan did not need treatment.

Heller, who is based in New York, has been admonished by L.A. County Superior Court Judge James Dabney for his unfamiliarity with California legal procedures. At Heller’s request, the Orange County law firm Wallin & Klarich is ready to join as co-counsel, one of the partners told the LA Times, pending Lohan's approval.

Attorney and former prosecutor Dmitry Gorin, who is unrelated to the case, told the paper, however, that if Heller proceeds without a local co-counsel, Lohan must sign a waiver stating Heller is incompetent in California law. Gorin said such a waiver was almost unprecedented and could be grounds to appeal any decision by the judge.